Retaining-key for locking split bolts.



110.859.103. PATENTED JULY-2. 1907.

W. W. PARSONS. RETAINING KEY FOR LOCKING SPLIT BOLTS. nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn1:0 8. 1906.

FTGE.

WALLACE WILLIARD PARSONS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

RETAINING-KEY FOB LOCKING SPLIT BOLTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1907.

Application filed December 8, 1906. Serial No. 346,940.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALLACE WILLIARD PARSONS,a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the Districtof Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRetainingKeys for Locking Split Bolts in Railroad Construction,Structural Ironwork, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The object, generally stated, of my invention, is the provision of aretaining-key for use in locking twomembered or split-bolts in railroadconstruction, structural iron-work, etc., which key shall operate tospread the ends of the bolt in the cone-shaped opening of a collarcarried by the bolt, thus securely to lock the collar and, when the endsof the bolt have been closed over the key, firmly to lock the bolt.

A further object is so to form the key that, when driven down betweenthe ends of the split-bolt, it may be held, with great pressure, againstthe collar, during the operation of closing the ends of the bolt overthe key, obviating all tendency of creeping, or backward or retrogrademovement, of the key, during such operation of closing the ends of thebolt; fuller disclosure of this peculiar and efiicacious formation ofthe key appearing hereinafter.

Another object is so to form the key that bolts of slightly differentlengths may be locked by my key equally as well; fuller disclosure ofthis peculiar and efiicacious formation of the key appearinghereinafter.

With these objects in view, the invention may be said to reside,comprehensively stated, in a retainingor locking-key comprising twointegral wedges placed base to base and coinciding, the bases being ofdifferent lengths, and the wedge with the shorter base being disposedbetween the ends of the longer base.

As a matter of further and specific improvement, the invention alsoresides in a key of the character just described, the wedge with thelonger base being formed with its two sides in two inclined convergingplanes terminating in a plane surface parallel with the base.

Further details of construction will be fully hereinafter disclosed inthe specification.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure l is a transverse section through arailway rail and fish-plates, showing one application of my invention;and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of my invention.

Referring to the drawing, my locking-key is formed of two integralwedges placed base to base and coinciding, the bases being of differentlengths, and the wedge with the shorter base being disposed between theends of the longer base: A indicates one wedge, with a base a. The topof this wedge is a flat surface a in a plane parallel to the plane ofthe base. The wedge A is desirably of the same depth from end to endthereof. The remaining wedge a has a shorter base than that of the wedgeA and is disposed between the ends of the longer base a, the two basescoinciding, and the ends a*, 11* of the wedge A projecting beyond thesides of the wedge a This wedge terminates in a sharp edge a For oneapplication of my invention in use, attention is directed to Fig. 1, inwhich B represents an ordinary railway-rail, C, C fish-plates, as usual,on each side thereof, and D a splitor two-membered bolt extendingthrough the rail and fish-plates, carrying a collard provided,desirably, with a cone-shaped opening (1 therethrough. The retaining-keyof my invention is driven down between the two ends of the shank of thebolt, the portions of the wedge A which extend beyond the sides of theshank of the bolt affording abutments against which a tool may bepressed firmly during the operation of closing the ends of the shank ofthe bolt over the wedge A, and whereby the said abutments are forcedwith great pressure against the collar, holding the same tightly againstthe fish-plate. Creeping or, in other words, backward or retrogrademovement of the wedge key after it has been driven between the twomembers of the shank and during the operation of closing the ends of theshank of the bolt over the wedge A will be entirely prevented; becausethese projecting ends of the wedge A, extending beyond the sides of theshank of the bolt, afford abutments against which an appropriate toolmay bear with great pressure.

It willbe recognized that it is important, for my purposes that thewedge A shall be of the same depth from end to end, throughout itsentire extent; for, if the ends of the wedge A, projecting beyond thesides of the shank of the bolt, were provided with an upper curved orbeveled surface, it would be impossible for a tool to bear squarely andfirmly against such projecting ends, and the tool would be liable toslide or slip off. A most efficient mechanism, or tool, for engagingwith, or bearing against said projecting ends of the wedge A whichextendbeyond the sides of the shank of the bolt, is disclosed in my co-pendingapplication for patent filed December 8, 1906, Serial No. 346,942, andentitled Mechanism for locking bolts.

It will be observed, from the structure of. the wedge A, that mylocking-key may be used equally as well to lock bolts of slightlydifferent lengths. A bolt may be of a length so that, when the ends ofthe shank are bent toward each other on the inclined sides of the wedgeA, the end of each member of the shank will terminate on a line with, orshort of, the surface a. The bolt will be securely locked. And a bolthaving aslightly longer shank than the bolt just described may be lockedequally as well; for, in this case, the end of each member of the shankwill project somewhat beyond the surface a of the wedge A, and may bebent together or closed on such surface; or the projecting ends of suchand the efficacious objects which I have in view,

shank may be left as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. But, on the otherhand, if my wedge A terminated in a sharp edge (such as the edge ofwedge a then it would be possible to use only a bolt the ends of theshank of which would terminate on a line with, or short of, such edge;because, if a bolt of slightly longer shank were attempted to be used,then the ends of the shank would meet beyond the line of the edgedescribed, the consequence of which would be that the bolt and collarwould not be locked, as the shock and jar of passing trains would causecreeping, or backward or retrograde movement, ot the retaining-key, andthe whole structure would work loose. Wherefore, I consider my peculiarformation of retaining-key, whereby a portion of the wedge A projectsbeyond each side of the shank affording abutments for the purposedescribed, and whereby there is provided a top surface a on the wedge A,also for the efficacious purpose above described, as material,important, and valuable features of novelty and invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to, secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. The combination with a bolt having a split shank, of a collardisposed around the shank, and a key, comprising two wedge-shapedportions united base to base, adapted to be forced between the membersof the shank and to extend within the collar, the outer end of the keyextending laterally of the shank, to form a bearing surface for asecuring tool, and having shoulders adapted to bear upon the collar.

2. The combination with a threadless bolt having a split shank, of acollar disposed around the shank, and a key, comprising a portionadapted to be forced between the members of the shank and to extendwithin the collar, and shoulders formed on the key and bearing upon thecollar, the outer end of the key extending laterally of the shank.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WALLACE WILLIARD PARSONS. Witnesses E. T. MANDENBURG, T. M. HAMILL.

